Many consider Socrates to be the father of philosophy. He was born in Athens in 469 B.C. His father, Sophroniscus, was a stonemason. His mother, Phaenarete, was a midwife. Despite his humble origins, Socrates’ life is full of lessons that are still valid today.

Fundamentally, this great philosopher lived as any other Athenian. He followed in his father’s footsteps for some time and had to serve as a soldier for the Greeks. In fact, people knew him to be a great worker and a very patient man.

When he became famous as a thinker and naturalist, he also began to make some enemies. This is due to the fact that he promoted an inflexible set of morals. Within this ethical system, there was no place for dishonesty, dishonor, or double standards. He was persecuted and ridiculed for these ideas. In the end, he was even condemned to commit suicide. This last episode of his life turned out to become a great life lesson.

“All men’s souls are immortal, but the souls of the righteous are immortal and divine.”

-Socrates-

1. Humility: One of the great lessons from Socrates’ life

Socrates wasn’t very good-looking. He was very short and had a prominent belly. Furthermore, he had rough facial features and was characterized by his large bulging eyes and extremely snubbed nose. The other philosophers mocked him due to his physical appearance.

Nevertheless, none of this affected the “father of philosophy”. On the contrary, he paid little to no attention to these criticisms. In fact, he would always wear the same cloak and lived a completely austere life. He barely ate and drank. One philosopher said that no slave would want to be treated as Socrates treated himself. Plato, on the other hand, would wash his feet and put his sandals on them.

2. Respect for other people’s individuality

One of the most interesting aspects of this philosopher’s life is that he never wrote anything down. Despite the fact that everyone thought he had an incredible mind, he taught orally.

He believed that everyone had to develop their own ideas. If he were to write his own ideas down, that would condition other people’s intellectual formation. Socrates had a more original teaching method. He would talk with people at length, displaying his knack for irony and his extraordinary capacity of seeing things from a different perspective.

3. Listening

Socrates would impart his teachings with subtlety and intelligence. Some people still use this teaching method, although perhaps not as much as we’d like. The Socratic method inspired some of history’s great pedagogues, such as Jean Piaget.

The philosopher would start a conversation by interrogating his interlocutor. He would ask them questions that would point to the conclusion that what they were saying was either consistent or poorly substantiated. Thus, everyone would arrive at the truth by themselves. Socrates would just listen and ask questions.

4- Opening up completely to the truth

Socrates said, “I know that I know nothing”. This wasn’t just a slogan or some way of bringing attention to himself. This philosopher was truly open-minded in a unique way. He simply considered that he didn’t know what the truth was. He asked questions before seeking answers and broadened the world’s perspective before trying to close in on something.

Socrates also said, “Know thyself”. Thus, he didn’t attempt to describe human beings. Instead, he invited all of us to explore ourselves – one of the most fascinating journeys a person can undertake.

5- A sense of humor

Socrates also had an amazing sense of humor. This was reflected in his anecdotes about Xanthippe, his wife. She was 30 years younger than him and famous for her difficult personality. Someone once asked Socrates why he’d married her and he responded, “I like the fact that I get to learn from a person with such a bad temper. There’s no better school for learning to deal with other people than that”.

Socrates and Xanthippe

When he was condemned to death, his wife went to visit him and broke out in tears. Socrates then told her, “Don’t cry – we’re all condemned to death by nature”. His wife answered, “But you’ve been condemned unfairly”. Socrates rebutted, “Would you think this situation was less regrettable if they had condemned me fairly?”

The main function of human rights is to protect inalienable, fundamental rights to which we’re inherently entitled simply because we’re human beings. To guarantee respect for our life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. However, these rights are of little use in…

The Noble Eightfold Path is something Buddha himself came up with after two months of solitary meditation. It states that although suffering is part of life, you can follow eight very concrete steps to transcend to peace. Buddhism and Psychology…

Friedrich Nietzsche was one of the most important philosophers of the nineteenth century, along with other prominent figures such as Sigmund Freud and Karl Marx. Many call these thinkers “philosophers of suspicion” due to their desire to unmask falsehood hidden…

Everyone has morals. Each person knows or has an idea of what’s right or wrong. However, knowing that something’s wrong doesn’t necessarily mean that people don’t do it. Sometimes, the benefits of certain actions don’t come from following universal principles…

Some of the quotes by Zeno of Citium are related to the basic premises of his school of thought: that there’s a natural, rational order of things and that goodness results from adapting to that order. Zeno of Citium is…

Wabi-sabi is a Zen concept that refers to the ability to see the beauty in imperfections. It’s an Eastern philosophy that’s a tool for personal development that can help people lead happy and peaceful lives. In fact, wabi-sabi is the…

As much as you’d like to get along with your significant other 100% of the time, sooner or later there’ll be conflict in your relationship. It’s inevitable, not to mention healthy. Conflict is an opportunity for analysis and decision-making. Some…

Many experts define an emotion as a subjective state that has an overwhelming or intense affective load. While it’s difficult to explicitly describe emotions, everyone can describe these subjective states in a clear way. For example, you can describe a…

Meditation has become quite popular. As people learn about the benefits of daily meditation, they’re becoming more interested in incorporating meditation into their daily lives. Today, we’ll share some meditation techniques for beginners that’ll help get you started on your…

Sleep apnea in women is underdiagnosed. In fact, when people think of sleep apnea, they usually think of a middle-aged or elderly man snoring. This stereotypical image only tells a small part of the story. First of all, young people…

The content in this publication is presented for informative purposes only. In no sense is this information intended to provide diagnoses or act as a substitute for the work of a qualified professional. For this we recommend that you contact a reliable specialist.

The content in this publication is presented for informative purposes only. In no sense is this information intended to provide diagnoses or act as a substitute for the work of a qualified professional. For this we recommend that you contact a reliable specialist.